My Ohio (Home)
by poeticgrace
Summary: He couldn't see the crowd of people through the blaring house lights, but he knew he was out there. One Shot.


"One, two, three, four..."

Puck counted off and jumped into the song, his fingers nimbly working over the worn guitar strings. He couldn't see the crowd of people through the blaring house lights, but he knew he was out there. He could sense him, always had been able to do that thing ever since they were kids and he started making his way to the Hudsons' after school on autopilot. It had never really gone away either, not through Quinn sophomore year or those lost months while Puck was in LA or that long year when Finn had disappeared to New York. He had known Finn's heart through all of that, and tonight, he was just as sure as he had ever been.

He was kind of a big deal now, not that he could ever get used to the thought. The lines waiting outside the venues were longer than they had been just a few months ago, and his publicist was constantly waving off rumors about what the press thought they did and didn't know. He had a small entourage that surrounded him to watch over his personal and professional affairs, and he had upgraded his mother's security system back in Lima last month due to all the fans that stopped by just to take a picture of his old bedroom window. He thought it was kind of cool that people knew who he was, but more importantly, he loved that people knew about his music. Rolling Stone swore that he was "The Next Big Thing," but that didn't matter nearly half as much as when Finn had told him three months ago that he was "The Only Thing."

It was hard to get used to the fact that he was in love with his best friend, though if he was honest with himself, he'd have to admit that it had always sort of been there. Other than their mothers, the two of them were the only real constant that Puck and Finn had ever had. So when Finn had smiled up at Puck beneath long lashes late one night somewhere in the middle of Kansas, he had thought oh and then oh, yeah before he made his move and kissed Finn senseless from the confines of his little bunk on the tour bus.

And now here they were, this constant thing, and Puck was about to confess his feelings before a sold-out crowd in New York. He knew that Quinn was here somewhere, Berry too. He wasn't exactly doing it to throw it back in their faces; he just wanted to stake his claim. Finn Hudson had always belonged to him, and now that they were in love or whatever, Puck intended to make sure that the entire world knew.

"So I wrote this song a few months back, you guys have probably heard it on the radio. It's called 'My Ohio.' A lot of interviewers have asked me what it was about, and I have always been pretty vague. I think a lot of people assumed that it was about a girl," he explained, never stopping his steady strum. He scanned the crowd as the spotlight worked its way over the sea of people. Finn usually watched the show from backstage, but with their friends in town, he had insisted on hanging out with them in the audience. "Tonight, I have a lot of people I used to know back in Ohio here to see me. They say you can't go home again, but having them here makes me feel like I can still carry it with me."

Puck started into the first verse of the song, letting his hazel eyes shut and get lost in the bluesy Southern rock vibe of the song. It had been a hit single instantaneously, climbing the iTunes and radio airplay charts as soon as it debuted. Even his sister had complimented him on it, a first since his music career had taken off. He smiled as he transitioned into the chorus, opening his eyes as his gaze made its way across the front row. He finally found the tall boy with chocolate brown eyes, _his boy_, grinning up at him from dead center.

"Probably the person I carry the most with me is actually someone I've had at my side for the better part of the past 20 years. My best friend, Finn, is here tonight just like he is every night," Puck said as he continued to play his guitar while he talked to the audience. "I wrote this song about Finn one night when I couldn't sleep on tour. He had gone back to visit his parents, and even though it was only a few days, I missed him so much. He is my home; Finn is 'My Ohio.'"

The lanky brunette smiled sweetly as Puck went into the next verse. He walked toward the edge of the stage, careful keep his eyes locked on Finn so that he knew that Puck was singing the song only for him. He had been the first one to hear it just as he was the first one to hear everything. Finn had gotten everything he needed to know in just those few verses. Puck might not have been good with the emotions, but he certainly had a way with words.

"And so tonight, with Finn and our friends in the audience, I have some more news to share with my fans," Puck said into the microphone once he had repeated the chorus. "I told Finn that I loved him for the first time after I sang this song to him." The crowd collectively gasped and then broke into wild applause. Puck could just see Kurt covering his mouth while Blaine threw his head back in laughter and Brittany clapped excitedly. "And now, in front of 20,000 of our closest friends, I have only one thing left to say to him."

The lights went dark so that only a single spotlight shone over Puck. He slipped his guitar over his head and set it down on the stand next to his microphone. He grabbed the aforemtioned mic off its base and headed back toward the front of the stage. Kneeling down slowly, he made sure that his gaze was once again locked on him.

"Finn Hudson, will you marry me?"

Puck doesn't remember much about the next several moments, but he is coherent enough to see Finn nodding his head hard and one of the security guys helping his newly named fiance to the stage. They make the cover of People that week thanks to an impromptu photo taken by Artie, and the proposal is the most-watched video on YouTube for twelve days.

_Fin._


End file.
